Is this the stupidest taxi driver in Greater Manchester?

£10k a year cabbie jailed for laundering £2m in two weeks

A Bury taxi driver who acted as a courier for criminals has been jailed for three years for attempting to launder millions of pounds through his personal bank accounts.

More than £2m in cash went through Mushtaq Ahmed Anwar’s personal accounts in the space of two weeks, despite him claiming an income of £10,000 a year.

Anwar was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court following an investigation by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) into his financial transactions.

Mike O’Grady, HMRC assistant director criminal Investigation said: “Anwar’s role was as a courier, handling substantial amounts of cash on behalf of other criminals. We discovered that over £2m had passed through one of his bank accounts two weeks prior to his arrest whilst he declared his annual income to be less than £10,000.

“The sentence given in this case sends a clear message to those tempted to launder money that they are taking a serious risk.”

The enquiry into Anwar’s involvement began in 2007 when he was caught during a HMRC surveillance operation in London, driving his vehicle with two passengers inside.

When one passenger got out of the vehicle carrying a blue bag he was challenged by HMRC officers who found that the bag contained over £99,000. During the investigation, codenamed Operation Waterlog, Anwar was spotted in Birmingham and Watford on further suspected money drops and pick ups.

In February 2008, Anwar was arrested at his home in Bury on suspicion of money laundering. During a house search several padlocked cases containing cash were found in various locations; also bundles of cash were dotted about the house. In total over £30,000 was found. Other documents discovered indicated Anwar had handled millions.

In sentencing, His Honour Judge Stockdale QC said: “You were actively involved in money laundering and part of a network of money launderers used to transport criminal cash around the UK. Some of the deposits into your bank accounts may have been legitimate, however, your evidence was fanciful and was rejected by the jury. The true origins of the cash, be it drug trafficking or theft, may never be known.”

Like what you see? Enter your email to sign up for our newsletters which are chock-a-block with more great reviews, news, deals and savings.

It would be interesting to know what most cab-drivers admitted earning. I bet his £10K is not far from the average. Until tax-dodging is seen as the same as benefits-fiddling they'll keep sacking the Inspectors who chase up this kind of thing for a living. And the fewer of them there are then it'll also be carte blanche for the bankers etc who have even more sophisticated ways of getting out of paying full whack like you or I have to.